PANDA BEAR & SONIC BOOM

Reset (Domino) 

Not the latest superhero movie duo, although Panda Bear – Noah Lennox off of Animal Collective – and Pete Kember, aka Sonic Boom ex of Spacemen 3, make a cracking pairing to save humanity from oblivion. Friends and collaborators for some time, Reset involved Kember looping samples of vintage pop 45s for Panda Bear to craft into tunes.

The high concept in Reset is executed to perfection, with songs floating along like unreleased gems from the Beach Boys Surf’s Up, the embers of Spacemen 3’s Playing With Fire and Panda’s well-pitched solo debut. Danger and Gettin’ To The Point feature recognisable acoustic guitar riffs (which will have folks of a certain age scratching their heads in confusion) and mould them into a contemporary thrill with deftly multitracked vocals and oodles of squiggly FX. Livin’ In The After carries the whiff of Brylcreem on the air of Southern Spain and Edge Of The Edge is acid-fried doo-wop.

Reset is machine music capturing the essence of nostalgia, and blasting it into a heavenly future. 

words CHRIS SEAL